


The Blue Butterfly

by DrownedOutStars



Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fae, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Ben is 20, Cutesy, Did I mention Love?, F/M, Fae & Fairies, Fae Magic, Fairy Rey, Fairy Tale Elements, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff, Happy, I'm constantly going to be editing this, Innocent Rey, Kissing, Love at First Sight, Oral Sex, Outdoor Sex, Prince Ben Solo, Rey is 19, So so so much love, Soft Ben Solo, This is going to be the happiest fic i have ever written, True Love, Vaginal Sex, Virgin Rey (Star Wars), so much love, soul mates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:27:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23659870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrownedOutStars/pseuds/DrownedOutStars
Summary: This is the tale of the Blue Butterfly and her knightly prince.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo
Comments: 16
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so, this fic was literally inspired by the dream I had while I was napping today. I dreamt of Rey with blue butterfly wings and I couldn't just _not_ write this fic! Definitely more chapters to come, and this fic is going to be so lovey dovey and fluffy and very, very, _very_ fairytale inspired!
> 
> Edit: I made a moodboard because moodboards are honestly just so much fun to make 😭💕 https://drownedoutstars.tumblr.com/post/615435917212237824/the-blue-butterfly-drownedoutstars-star-wars
> 
> Edit edit: I changed the Fae Queen to Satine because I felt like it fits better?
> 
> Edit edit edit: Hi, okay, so I know it's been months since I wrote this ^^; I'm stumped on how to continue it, but I do promise that it _will_ be updated in the future! As for it saying that it's complete, I'm not entirely sure as how to change it to "1/?" ^^; Perhaps it's because I'm on mobile? I'm not sure.

_Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, the Fae used to rule._

_Their Kingdom was lush and green, the waters ran blue and clear that sparkled like diamonds in light. The animals played amongst the forestry, and lavish flowers blossomed in every corner of the land._

_The Fae were happy, and they celebrated each day and night with song and love of Mother Earth. They were free to roam, free to fly amongst the birds in the sky, and free to be themselves._

_The Queen of the Fae, Satine, was a just and fair Queen. With hair and wings of the finest yellow, she walked amongst her people as a shining beacon of light that could never be snuffed. She took care of her people, made sure they had everything they could ever desire, and for that her people were happy._

_Until a cruel king, Vader, found the land and seeked to take it as his own._

_He was wicked and cruel, vile and despicable, and yet Queen Satine showed him nothing but kindness when he came to her._

_"I will take this Kingdom as my own," He spoke, his words frigid and heartless. "And if you even dare to interfere, your people shall be no more!"_

_"Why can we not share this land?" She had asked. "Why can we not both rejoice in the natural green splendor the Earth has gifted us? Can we not share this land with peace upon us and in our hearts?"_

_In response, he had simply slain her. Her blood was the first of the Faes' to be spilt, and most certainly not the last._

_The land grew weary with war, the Fae trying to flee but King Vader and his men set fire to the Fae Village. Smoke and embers took the place of green and light, death and misery took the place of life and laughter, and screams and pleading took the place of joy and peace._

_And so the Fae vanished, only a handful surviving and leaving behind the land to slowly die without their magic. The King rejoiced in his prize of the land, turning it into his very own Kingdom, and only coldness remained for years upon years._

_But this would all change on a fateful spring day in the deepest part of the woods in a fair meadow._

_This is the tale of the Blue Butterfly and her knightly prince._

"You're not going to get any game out here, I hope you realize this," Ben muttered as he sat crouched down with his best friend, Armitage Hux the second, down in the woods a mile away from the castle.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Solo," Hux muttered as he pulled an arrow from the quiver on his back, nocking the arrow in the bow string. "I shot a deer just yesterday right here."

"Did you really now? I don't remember you coming back with a deer,"

"Because I only _wounded_ it," Hux hissed behind clenched teeth and Ben chuckled softly as he shook his head. "It ran away before I could load another arrow!"

"Oh, yes, I'm sure," Ben smirked over at him and Hux scowled at him in return, his red hair shining in the sunlight filtering in through the treetops and his icy green eyes glared daggers into his own brown eyes.

"If you're going to be like this, you can just go back, you know that? I only invited you because I know your mother is on your arse every day of the week about stupid marriage proposals and I felt _bad for you_."

"I'm not a 'Prince', I'm a knight, I thought we established this--"

"Your blood lineage says otherwise," It was Hux's turn to chuckle and Ben huffed loudly as he looked back forward. "But sure, you're a knight, Ben."

"I try not to think about it," Ben muttered before standing up and walking forward, Hux stammering as he shot up as well.

"B-Ben, you're going to spook the animals!"

"There are no animals!" Ben grinned before cupping his hands around his mouth and letting out a loud holler, Hux dropping his bow and arrow as he smacked his forehead. 

"You're an _idiot_!" Hux hissed loudly as he briskly walked past him after picking up his bow, Ben throwing his head back and laughing loudly as he put his hands on his hips.

" _Idiot_!" Hux repeated as he walked faster, Ben catching up to him while continuing to laugh.

Hux and Ben had been friends practically since birth, their parents having been great friends before they were even born. Hux's mother was Ben's mother's handmaiden, and Hux's father was Ben's father's best knight. They grew up together, once even telling every servant in the castle that they were brothers by blood, and you can imagine the mortification Queen Leia felt at this blatant lie.

They were extremely close, almost always together, and they practically _were_ brothers by blood in their minds. There hadn't been a day where they weren't together, and they knew every single thing there was to know about each other.

They didn't look like brothers, not in the slightest, but that never stopped them from labeling each other as such. They loved each other as only brothers could, and their bond would forever be unbreakable.

"I saw your mother talking to the King and Queen from the neighboring land, I believe she is trying to strike a deal for you to marry their daughter," Hux hummed as they walked side by side, Ben's expression instantly souring as he sneered at the thought. "I heard she's pretty--"

"But what of personality? What if she's as boring and drab as a white tablecloth? What if she's got the spice of a flour bag?"

"'The spice of a flour bag'? I don't believe I've ever heard that one before!" Hux laughed loudly and Ben rolled his eyes. "Really, Ben, come now! It's time you got married anyways--"

"Oh, Lord, not you too," Ben groaned loudly and Hux snickered quietly. "I'm still young, I'll give my parents grandchildren...eventually." Ben scowled again and Hux glanced over at him with a smug expression before looking back forward.

"You could just run away, you ever thought of that? Go live amongst the Fae--"

"The Fae are all dead, you fool!" Ben snorted and Hux shrugged as he grinned once more. "What, you seen a Fae here recently? My grandfather wiped them all out _years_ ago! We all know this, we were told this tale time and time again as children!"

"Ah, but the Fae do not die so easily!" Hux wagged his finger at him and Ben shoved his hand away. "There could still be one in these very woods, you never know!"

"No, I do know," Ben rolled his eyes for the second time that day. "Because they were all burned alive."

"Mmn, if you say so," Hux spoke in a singsong voice as he walked faster through the once more than green forest, Ben quickly catching up to him yet again. "But you don't know everything, _Solo_."

"I very well could know everything!"

"Oh, forgive me, I did not know I was walking beside the world's brightest scholar!" Hux stopped and turned towards him, giving him an obnoxious bow as the redhead tried not to laugh. "My most sincerest apologies, o' wise one!"

"I will kill you while you sleep!" Ben laughed as he playfully shoved him backwards, Hux no longer containing the loud laughter bubbling within him as the only slightly taller man did so.

"You very well could, but you're not man enough to do it!"

"Oh? I'm not?" Ben arched a dark brow as he looked at his friend, Hux giving him that blasted overly smug expression once again. "Fine, how about we make a wager to see who's the manliest man?"

"Is your masculinity being threatened, Solo?" Hux cooed as he leaned forward and Ben bit back a grin. "Fine, I will take your wager, as idiotic as it is. What is this wager, pray tell?"

"Whoever can bring back the largest game wins,"

"That sounds fair--"

"And whoever loses has to spend a day sewing with the handmaidens."

"...I'm awful at sewing," Hux suddenly looked mortified and Ben laughed loudly. "I can't lose this, my mother would have my skin if she saw how bad I am at sewing!"

"Then don't lose!" Ben grinned before taking off, Hux calling out after him but it was of no use. When Ben set his mind to something, there was no changing it.

He ran through the forest as he held the handle of his dagger in his sheath, unable to stop smiling at the thought of Hux miserably sewing a dress.

He was deep in the forest within thirty minutes, suddenly stopping as he looked around and realized he was lost. "Well...this isn't good..." He muttered as he walked backwards, trying to figure out what path he had come in on.

He didn't see the root until he tripped over it (probably because he was walking backwards like a prideful moron), and he shouted loudly as he tumbled off a small cliff and landed on his back with a loud 'thud'. He gasped loudly for air as he clutched his chest, the wind most certainly knocked out of him as he forced himself to sit up.

"Damned nature!" He hissed out as he stood up after a few minutes, brushing the dirt off of his black tunic and leggings. "I haven't done anything to you, no need to punish me!" He shook his head and suddenly paused as a strange breeze flew past him, Ben instantly whirling around to see a vast meadow before him. It was... _green_.

It was the most green he had ever seen, with numerous flowers blooming all around and he could distinctly hear a waterfall somewhere off in the distance.

"Is this--am I--where is this?" He stammered as he looked around frantically, afraid that he stepped into a different dimension of sorts. "Did I die? Is this the Heaven my uncle speaks of in his religious ramblings?" He muttered as he began to walk forward, letting his hands graze against the tall grass.

This place was beautiful and peaceful, a true sanctuary for those who wished to seek blissful solitude. He could hear birds chirping, their songs of delight filling the air as he continued to walk farther. Flowers of every color surrounded him, colors he didn't even know existed, and all he could do was be silent by the awe of beauty around him.

 _This place must be Heaven_ , he thought as the sound of the waterfall grew closer. _Perhaps I have died._

A swarm of butterflies suddenly flew past him, Ben smiling as he instantly chased after them. He hadn't seen butterflies since he was but a child, and that was in the castle garden. This was entirely different, these butterflies were free. 

He followed them all the way to the wooded part of the meadow, the waterfall deafening in his ears now as he tried to find the source of it.

He suddenly paused as he distinctly heard a female vocalizing softly amongst the birds, her voice almost inhumanly angelic and he was immediately entranced.

It was a language he didn't understand, something old and ancient that humans had long forgotten, and he didn't even realize he was moving forward until he heard a branch crunch beneath his boot. 

The voice suddenly stopped and Ben felt a sense of mourning befall over him as it did so. "Wait, no, I'm sorry--" He ran forward and he stopped before he fell in the large pool of water the waterfall streamed into. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry if I scared you!" He looked around for the source of the voice that once sang, but there was not a soul in sight.

He suddenly saw a face peeking out from behind the waterfall, a pair of vivid hazel eyes staring into his.

"Oh--oh, hi..." He breathed out as she continued to stare at him, her eyes looking him up and down curiously. "Is this your meadow...?"

She hid behind the waterfall again and Ben opened his mouth but quickly shut it as he took another small step forward. "Please don't hide, I'm really sorry I frightened you--"

"You are human," She poked her head out from behind the waterfall again, Ben clearly seeing her waist long brown hair this time around. "Humans are not welcome here."

"I'm--are you not human?" He scoffed with a smile and she huffed loudly before stepping out fully from behind the waterfall.

Blue butterfly wings. She had wings of a blue butterfly. Big and beautiful they were, with fine black detailing and they seemed to shimmer in the sunlight. The shades of blue seemed to differ almost with each iridescent scale, white dots that almost resembled pearls dotting the top of them. They flitted in an irritated fashion behind her, the young female crossing her arms across her chest as she humphed loudly. 

"No, I am not," She jabbed a finger at him. "But you are, and you are not allowed here! You bring the vicious metal along with you that causes pain and death, that breaks the skin!" She pointed at his dagger in his sheath and he instantly took it out of his sheath, the fairy gasping loudly and running back behind the waterfall. 

"Hang on, hang on!" He dropped the dagger in the pool, putting his hands up in a non-threatening manner. "It's gone, see? I threw it in the pool!"

She came back out with a softer expression, the fairy slowly flying down from the small cliff and landing in the shallow pool that only came up to her mid thighs. She looked down at the dagger in the pool before looking up at him, giving him an appreciative nod as a response.

"You're awfully large for a human, you know that?" She smiled and he suddenly realized he would die for that smile. He'd die for those eyes, those lips, that face, _those wings_. "Very tall and bulky...like a bear!"

"O-oh, I wouldn't compare myself to a bear," Ben laughed nervously as his cheeks burned red, the fairy wading over to him in the crystal blue waters. 

"Why not? Bears are very kind creatures, they are most loyal! I have a friend who's a bear, he is very generous when it comes to sharing his berries." She puffed her chest out as she spoke in a prideful fashion and Ben couldn't help but smile. _Tiny but mighty, she is._

"You can speak to animals?" He knelt down as she stood before him so they were at height level. 

"Can you not?" She giggled as she covered her mouth with her hand and Ben melted on the inside. "I thought everyone could!"

"Surely you've never met a human before, then, have you?" He smiled and she reached out, gently taking a strand of his hair and twirling it around her slender finger.

"So long and black," She breathed out in wonder. "You make the raven jealous."

"Then I apologize to the raven," He whispered and the fairy looked at him, a smile gracing her lips once more.

She liked this human, she realized. He had thrown away his venomous metal just for her, just to make her feel comfortable, and he had no menacing presence whatsoever. She liked his uniqueness handsome, liked the beauty marks dusting his face and she liked his longish hair. She giggled again as she playfully splashed him, Ben chuckling softly as his eyes softened.

He knew the Fae were playful in nature, and this was a sign that she was most comfortable with him. He also knew they were tricksters, and he really hoped she wouldn't pull him into the water.

"I am Reyna the Blue," She tucked a strand of hair behind her slightly pointed ears. "Who are you?"

"Ben," He was enamoured. He was beyond enamoured, he was starstruck, actually. He had never seen beauty like hers before, and he never wanted to leave this meadow. "I am Ben the--the human."

"What a silly title!" She laughed, her laughter sounding of tinkling bells. "'Ben the human'! Did they not give you a color? My grandfather gave me a color when I was born, did yours not?"

"Ah...no," He laughed breathlessly and Reyna cocked her head to the side. "Humans don't get a title of color at birth."

"May I give you one?" She smiled yet again and he nodded instantly. "Red," She smiled wider as leaned up closer to him, her hand caressing his cheek in the gentlest fashion. "I give you red."

"Red..." He echoed and Reyna nodded excitedly as she giggled. "I love it, I love being red." She could've honestly given him any color in the world and he still would've loved it.

"Good," She patted his cheek before stepping back from him. "It is the color you are. Everyone has a color, don't you know? We Fae are born with wings the color of our souls." 

"Really?" He couldn't stop smiling.

"I am blue," She pointed to herself before pointing at him. "You are red."

"Can I--can I touch your wings?" He asked as he reached out and she suddenly flinched back while shaking her head violently. His face fell before he frowned and took his hand back. "I'm sorry--"

"They're very fragile," She spoke softly as her wings flitted again, the wings closing and then opening. "They have dust on them that cannot be touched by human hands that are not clean. If you touched them...I might not be able to fly..." She frowned as her shoulders slumped down and he felt foolish for asking her in the first place.

"I won't touch them, I promise," He spoke quietly and she moved closer to him once again, her white dress floating in the water around her as well as the lower part of her hair. "I don't want to take your ability to fly from you."

"You are very kind," Her wings flitted excitedly this time, as if she was truly appreciative of his words. "I wish all humans were like you, Ben the Red."

"Am I the first human you've encountered?"

"Yes, but..." She sighed as she looked down. "I have heard stories of what the humans did to my kind. My grandfather told me tales of when the Queen still ruled, and...he told me of great fires and the death of our people. My parents were murdered by your people not long after I was born but nineteen years ago, and my grandfather raised me in this meadow. I gave him back to the Earth five years past."

"Oh...I am so sorry," Ben frowned and she looked back at him. "Your parents were killed here in this forest?"

"No, far away in another land. My grandfather brought me here when I was but a Faeling. I have lived here all my life, and I thought this place was unseeable to the human eyes..." 

"Ah," Ben sucked in his breath as he fully sat down on the edge of the pool. "I may have fallen off a small cliff to get here."

"Oh! Yes, this would explain the dirt on your clothes!" Reyna gasped loudly and Ben's cheeks burned red again. "I just thought all humans were this dirty!"

"U-uh, no, I'm not normally this...dirty--"

"This is good news," Reyna nodded and Ben bit the inside of his cheek. "It is just your clothes though, should I wash them?"

"Ah, no--"

"BEN!" Ben heard Hux shout his name from far off, Reyna suddenly gasping in fright as she stumbled backwards in the water.

"Shh, shh, no, it's okay--"

"I-I have to go!" And just like that, she flew off.

"W-wait!" He stood up quickly, his face falling as he saw her disappear. "I was enjoying your company...come back..."

\-----------------------------------------

"Ah, I win!" Hux grinned as Ben approached him in the forest, Ben looking at the rabbit in the redhead's hand. "I don't have to sew!"

"Yeah, Hux, you don't have to sew." Ben whispered as he walked past him and Hux frowned as he caught up to him.

"Ben, what happened? You look like you fell or something--"

"I fell down a small cliff and got lost for a minute, that's all." She would be the only secret he would keep from his beloved friend, he would not out her existence to another human. She had trusted him, and he would keep her trust if it was the last thing he did.

"Oh, did you get hurt?" Hux looked genuinely concerned and Ben shook his head before smiling over at him.

"No, I'm fine. I guess I better start sewing at dawn, huh?"

He was going to go back to the meadow, back to _her_ as soon as could.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, man. Okay, so, I know it's been _three months_ since I've updated this, and I sincerely apologize. I suppose I'm just not used to writing happy stories? I'm used to writing really heavy, dark, gory and somewhat scary stories. I'm definitely a horror writer, but I really wanted to take a crack at a fairytale! I hope y'all enjoy this chapter ;w;

For the next three days, all he could think of was her.

Each time he blinked he saw those beautiful wings, the way the sunlight danced off of them...but her _smile_. God, her smile was all things sweet and he wanted to see it again. It was sweeter than honey, that smile was. All honey without the bees.

Each time he saw the color blue, he saw her, and he couldn't help but sigh fondly as her smile flashed behind his eyes, as her wings fluttered in his mind wildly. 

But it wasn't that panic started to set in about the reality of the situation until the next morning.

He was walking by the garden, just merely strolling, and, out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of blue. A very _distinct_ blue.

"...What?" Ben murmured as he halted in his stops, only to nearly fall to his knees as he saw a very familiar face peer through the rose bushes. Her hazel eyes glinted in the sun like jewels with a certain playfulness he had never known, and he felt his nerves fry as she spotted him.

Twigs and leaves clung to her hair as her head popped up like a newborn daisy. A smile split her face as her wings flitted rather excitedly, a soft gasp flying from her lips as she nearly flew up into the air at the very sight of the human she had met three days prior.

Radiant. She was radiant. 

"Ben!" Reyna squealed happily and Ben instantly scrambled over, jumping behind the bush and pulling her down with him.

"Reyna," a hissed murmur behind teeth as she plucked the leaves and twigs from her hair. "You can't be here."

"Why not? No one has noticed me--"

"Because you'll be killed!" He didn't mean for it to come out so harsh, but it did, and his tone made her rear back with wide eyes. Her wings seemed to droop down as a frown tugged at her lips, her shoulders slumping down as she looked away. Just by looking at her face, he could tell this was not the way she had guessed he would've reacted to seeing her again. 

"I...I just wanted to see you," she whispered, her words tangling themselves in the wind as her eyes flicked back to his. Devastated. She looked devastated. "You never came back. I waited for you to come back."

Oh. Oh, he felt foolish. He felt like the blasted town idiot.

"I--Reyna, I wanted to, I've just been busy--" His cheeks reddened as she stared at him, her head tilting to the side as her wings gave a single flutter. Some sort of sparkly dust seemed to be coming off of them, practically invisible to the eye, but he could see the sparkles it produced. Like diamonds, they were; absolute diamonds that had been shrunk and coated her wings like dew. This must've been the dust she had talked about.

She continued to stare at him as a gentle breeze flew by, tussling her hair and sending it swaying, only for the breeze to disappear as soon as it came as she took a deep breath and said, "I forgive you, Ben the human."

"Well, that's--" Sure, he'd take it. "Yes. That's splendid that you take my apology. But will you please return back to your meadow before someone comes and sees you? If my grandfather goes out on his balcony--"

"Your family...is not accepting like you?" She spoke slowly, as if she was processing each individual word, and Ben nodded quickly. She mused at this, placing her index finger to her lips as a soft hum reverberated in her throat and filled the small space with melodic enchantment.

He wanted to touch her; to see if her hair felt as soft as it looked. He wanted to take her in his arms, hold her close like a doll, and whisper sweet promises until the end of the time. 

But he didn't. He didn't dare.

"Alright," she folded her hands in her lap as she gave him a small nod. "I have a solution to this."

"A solution?" He blinked owlishly and Reyna laughed breathlessly as she moved closer to him. She smelled like honeysuckle and fresh water. She smelled like the sweetest of nature, and he couldn't help but gently brush his hand against hers. A daring move, yes, but he could no longer contain himself.

It surprised him when she grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together and squeezing as she wiggled her shoulders like an excited child. 

Obviously she had not been taught that holding hands was basically the act of fornication in these parts.

She leaned forward, almost too closely, as she whispered cheerfully, "I can make my wings disappear for as long as I wish. It's Fae magic."

That...would work, yes. He found himself nodding absentmindedly, too clouded by her scent and face so close to his to think properly. She must have enchanted him. She simply must've.

"May I stay if I make my wings vanish, Ben the human?"

"Yes." Ben breathed out and Reyna bit her lower lip with a smile before pulling back.

"Ah, joyous news! Okay, okay, this is very exciting!" Her wings suddenly vanished and Ben found that he already missed them. She was still beautiful without them, of course, but those wings were _her_. She was the color blue, and without the wings it felt like her true light was lacking.

He stood up and held out his hand to her, she instantly taking it and springing up with a joyful giggle. She reminded him of an excited baby bird of sorts with the way she acted.

"If anyone asks," Ben hurried out of the garden and down the corridor with her. "You're a princess from a neighboring land, alright?"

"Princess...is that like a queen? We had a queen once," she let go of his hand and began to twirl around like a petal in the wind. She moved around him like a graceful phantom, her hair swaying with each moment as if she had her own breeze, and he couldn't help but watch as she went ahead of him.

"I never met her," she continued as she twirled around again. "But my grandfather knew her! I think they were in love, once, but my grandfather was a council member. Council members weren't allowed to have wives or husbands. Something about a...code?" A pregnant pause. "Yes, I think it was a code."

"Well, then how were you born?" 

"He wasn't _really_ my grandfather, he just..." Reyna stopped her twirling as she paused, a mournful look passing over her face as she clasped her hands together tightly. Her fingers were interlaced, as if she was holding her very own hand for comfort, and Ben froze before reaching out and gently patted her head.

Her eyes instantly darted up to his, wide and unblinking, and it was only a moment before her smile returned. "But it's alright! No need to fret over me!"

"...Come on," Ben spoke softly as he led her up some stone stairs to the sewing room and Reyna practically bounced all the way.

Once they got there, she immediately flew to the very things he had brought her up there for.

"Oh, Ben, these are beautiful!" She gasped in delight as she grabbed a turquoise dress with silver trim off of the rack, twirling around with it with a laugh. "It's so soft!"

"You have to, um," he paused before continuing, "You have to dress the part, Reyna. That's why I brought you up here."

Well, she looked absolutely gobsmacked at this. It was as if he just told her that she could have all the gold and jewels in the kingdom. Her eyes were wide once more like earlier, her lips parted and her cheeks dusted rosy pink. She wasn't moving. Was she too happy to move? He hoped that was the case. Had he offended her?

"N-not that your dress is bad--"

"I can keep it?" Reyna whispered and Ben blinked before exhaling with a smile.

"Yes. Yes, you may keep it, and--h-hang on, no--" Ben instantly shielded his eyes as she began to openly undress in front of him, the young man whirling around and placing his hands on the walls as his face burned bright red.

He supposed no one had taught her about undressing in front of men, either.

"Your color is coming out!" Reyna laughed loudly as she slipped the dress on. She found him rather funny, this Ben the human. Why was he hiding his eyes from her as she changed? Were humans embarrassed of their bodies? Did human bodies look different? He didn't look very different from her--well, except he didn't have wings, but that seemed to be the only thing that differed.

She hesitated for a moment before walking over to him, only for him to yelp as she began to pat him down from behind.

"W-what are you do--"

"I'm trying to see if your body is different from mine," she murmured with peak curiosity in her voice. "I'm trying to see if that's why you have hidden your face from me."

"Reyna, stop, this isn't proper--"

"And why not? Do you hide gills or a tail?" Reyna giggled only for him to turn around and delicately grab her wrists.

Oh. _Oh._ She looked beautiful in this color.

The dress fit her well, almost as if it was made for her. It spilled out onto the floor like water, her hair almost looking brighter against the shade of turquoise. 

"I, um," he felt speechless. "I'm not...hiding gills or a tail. It's just not proper. We're not wed."

"...Oh!" Her eyes lit up and he sighed in relief. Yes, she understood. Thank the Heavens.

"You humans seem very reserved," Reyna hummed as she went back over to the dresses, running her hands over the silken threads as she sighed, "I suppose I just don't really know much about your kind. So far I have learned that they do not get a color, that only you, Ben the human, are accepting, and that they are very shy when it comes to bodies."

"There's...a lot left for you to learn." Ben chuckled and Reyna looked over at him.

"And you'll teach me?" She looked so eager, so very determined to learn all that she could, and he couldn't help but smile and nod.

"Come on," he held his hand out and she ran over to him, grabbing his hand with a grin. "Let me take you somewhere where you can learn."

For the next few hours, she raided the library. 

She took books upon books, skimming through them and asking questions like, "Why do you kill trees just to write upon them and add leather covers?" 

But she read every one she grabbed. She was a fast reader, he learned, and her favorite books of all were the ones of fairytales. She loved the dragons and brave knights, loved the witches and goblins, and she'd squeal each time a Fae was included. She, of course, would make remarks on how the Fae in the stories were not true to reality, and he'd happily listen and agree. 

"We are not tiny," she'd say. "We are just as big as you."

As they were sitting at the table and she was rambling on about one of the tales, Ben didn't even notice Hux walk in until it was too late. The redhead cleared his throat loudly, and Ben sprung up from his seat as Reyna looked at the knight.

"What in God's good name are you doing with whoever this--"

"Does it hurt?" Rey cut him off and Hux's face scrunched up in confusion as Ben silently panicked. Yes, they had a plan, but Reyna...well, Reyna was Reyna. He was terrified she'd out herself.

"Does...what hurt?"

"Your hair," she pointed at his hair with a smile. "It's made out of fire, right? That's why it's orange? Does it hurt?"

It took everything for Ben not to scream. 

"You think that my hair is made out of _fire_?" Hux slowly smirked as he placed his hands on the table, leaning forward towards her as his eyes glinted mischievously.

"I do, yes." Reyna nodded confidently and Hux bit back a laugh as he glanced over at Ben.

"She--" Ben cleared his throat. "She's a princess from a neighboring kingdom, I don't believe they have redheads."

"Oh? And what is the name of this kingdom called?" Hux drawled and Reyna wiggled in her seat. 

"Glassia," Ben blurted out the first thing he could think of and Hux tilted his head to the side with a suspicious look. "It's very small. Very, very small. Not even on the map."

"And your mother set you up with her?" Hux asked as Reyna silently moved forward, her hand stretched out towards his hair. He swatted her hand away without looking as he waited for Ben to respond which, in turn, made her pout and cross her arms angrily while muttering something inaudible under her breath.

"Ah, no, I found her...in the village. She was just wandering around, looking for the castle." Ben felt like he needed water, his mouth felt as if he had just swallowed a handful of sand.

"Oh, I see," Hux grinned wildly before looking back towards Reyna. "Is this true?"

"Why are you asking me? Do you think he is not truthful?" She narrowed her eyes and Hux shrugged as he chortled.

"I just want to make sure you aren't a random village girl he took pity on. You seem a bit...hmm, what's the word? Slow?" 

"...I think the fire is getting to your brain." Ben huffed loudly and Reyna looked away as her face hardened. 

"Mmn...why don't I go get our great lady?" 

"Wait--"

But Hux was already gone.

Ben was truly, utterly panicking now.


End file.
